To the Honorable Gretchen Whitmer and the Honorable Dana Nessel:A public health, safety and welfare crisis exists for Michigan’s medical marijuana patients and the businesses that serve them.Until January 1, 2019, approx. 115 medical marijuana distribution centers were authorized for operation by Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) statewide; on January 1, that number dropped to 42. Due to the enactment of the new Administrative Rules for the MMFLA program the temporary operating status of more than 70 centers was rescinded. Those centers were allowed temporary operation because they had filed their applications in a timely manner, were still actively engaged in the process of licensure and met other strict standards established by the Bureau of Medical Marihuana Regulation in 2018.The stated goal of the MMFLA program is to provide a network of cannabis businesses throughout Michigan, with an eventual goal of having more than 115 licensed distribution centers. The licensing process has been slow. Closure of 70 centers is a step backward in a program struggling to keep pace with the patient demand. Re-creating an industry as robust as the one which existed on Dec. 31, 2018 will take many months, if not longer. At risk are the patients, the oft-forgotten core of the program. LARA’s main purpose should be to ensure the constant and uninterrupted supply of medical cannabis to the persons whom they are charged to protect. Closure of functioning and compliant cannabis distribution centers for administrative or regulatory purpose may satisfy the new Administrative Rules but it fails the State’s basic responsibility, created by the Medical Marihuana Act, to protect the health and wellness of those ill and injured persons, both licensed and unlicensed as described within the MMMA’s language.The currently-operating 42 centers are poorly distributed across the state, with only a single licensed center in the entire Upper Peninsula. The northern, western and southern Lower Peninsula is poorly serviced by the distribution of currently licensed centers. The industry is not sufficiently robust to satisfy.............https://www.weednews.co/michigan-cannabis-organizations-urge-governor-to-act-on-mmfla-shutdowns/

Â

Natures Answer is Michigan's favorite Medical marijuana certification and renewal company.How do you get a Michigan medical marijuana card?

Last month, Michigan became the 10th state, and the first in the Midwest, to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. The new statue, which became effective on December 6, 2018, is known as the Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana Act (“the Act”). Part of the Act’s stated intent is to decriminalize the personal possession and cultivation of marijuana by adults 21 years of age or older. The Act, among other things, allows individuals age 21 and older to possess or use up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana, and to possess and store not more than 10 ounces in their residence. Notably, the Act does not authorize the consumption or smoking of marijuana in public places.

Â

The natural question for many Michigan employers is how, if at all, does the Act impact drug-free workplace policies? Can an employer deny employment to someone who fails a pre-employment drug test, or discipline an employee who tests positive for or is under the influence of marijuana in violation of company policy? Under the Act, an employer can still enforce a zero-tolerance/drug-free workplace policy, which typically prohibits the use, possession or being under the influence of drugs (including marijuana – still illegal under federal law) while at work or on company business.

At the most advanced driving simulator in the world, at the University of Iowa, a study on the effects of driving under the influence of cannabis has been in high gear. Dr. Marilyn Huestis has been studying cannabis for 20 years and showed "60 Minutes" around the lab two years ago."The ability to take information in, evaluate it, make decisions and initiate them, greatly affected by cannabis," she said.Those potential dangers are at the heart of a study from the University of Michigan published on Wednesday. Of the nearly 800 of Michigan medical cannabis users surveyed, 51 percent admitted to driving while "a little high" and 21 percent said they had driven while "very high." That's a concern for law enforcement. There are 2.1 million medical marijuana users across 33 states. Right now, there is no reliable roadside test to know for sure if a driver is impaired by cannabis.Neurologist Dr. Orrin Devinsky of NYU Langone Health conducted the trials that led to the first FDA approved cannabis medication, a drug for epilepsy. He believes the use of medical marijuana and the legislation of it has gotten ahead of the science."Essentially politicians have voted that this should be a legal medical therapy and we don't have data from rigorous scientific studies to define what the safety is," he said.It's significant that Devinsky, a pioneer in medical cannabis use, is concerned. He said we need more specific guidance on how to use it in as

State officials are issuing a mandatory recall of medical marijuana sold at provisioning centers in Detroit and Kalamazoo after tests revealed the product did not meet state standards.This is the second recall of medical marijuana in a week issued by the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs' Bureau of Marijuana Regulation.The recall affects four strains of marijuana flower sold at The Green Mile Detroit at 6650 E. Eight Mile Road in Detroit, and 11 strains of marijuana sold at Compassionate Care by Design at 401 N. Sage St. in Kalamazoo.Both provisioning centers had obtained the marijuana from caregivers, and sold it to customers before it was tested by a lab, said David Harns, spokesman for the bureau.Lab testing revealed marijuana sold at The Green Mile was contaminated with yeast, mold and chemical residue, and...............https://www.mlive.com/news/2019/01/medical-marijuana-contaminated-with-mold-chemicals-recalled-from-2-michigan-shops.html

Thanks to Michigan voters, marijuana is now legal for recreational use, but it is not for sale in any stores yet.Fortunately, that magical entity that Republicans are always praising — you know, the market — has come up with a solution. It just requires a lot of winking and nudging.That's because under the new law it's perfectly legal for an adult over the age of 21 to gift another adult cannabis. Officially, the law permits "giving away or otherwise transferring without remuneration up to 2.5 ounces of marihuana, except that not more than 15 grams of marihuana may be in the form of marihuana concentrate, to a person 21 years of age or older, as long as the transfer is not advertised or promoted to the public."Presumably, the gift-givers have grown their pot under the state's medical marijuana law, or are card-holders who purchased their bud at a marijuana provisioning center. But what if you don't have a friend with a medical marijuana card who can gift you?Enter the entrepreneurs. The Detroit News did a round up on some businesses that offer a "free gift" with purchase of some other good, like artwork or T-shirts. Officially, that free gift is only hinted at.On High Road LLC, which got its start on the east coast, offers a free gift when you buy a "Munch Bag" package with some of its "High Art." For example, there's the "Hybrid Art Red Wing Hot Box," which comes with................https://www.metrotimes.com/news-hits/archives/2019/01/03/these-michigan-companies-will-gift-you-marijuana-until-we-get-real-pot-stores

— Legal marijuana in Michigan doesn't mean pot is welcome in the workplace.The recreational marijuana law approved by voters on Nov. 6 allows employers to fire or refuse to hire someone if they possess, use or distribute marijuana at work.And, because drug tests can only determine whether marijuana is in a person's system, not whether that person is high, weekend smokers aren't necessarily off the hook. Many of the Lansing-area's largest employers say they are sticking to their no-drug policies. "Under (federal) standards, neither recreational nor medical marijuana provide a valid basis to excuse a positive drug test," said Matthew Fedorchuk, a spokesman for the Michigan Civil Service Commission, which sets rules for the vast majority of employees at state agencies, close to 14,000 in the Lansing area. "Accordingly, under current procedures, the passage of Proposal 1 does not affect the operation of the state’s drug testing program." The new state law allows adults 21 years of age or older to use and possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana and grow up to twelve marijuana plants in their residence for recreational use.But marijuana use remains illegal and fully criminalized under federal law. Michigan is an at-will employment state, which means an employer can fire someone for any reason and doesn't have to prove just cause.“We're seeing employers have a lot of questions, but at the end of the day at this point they don’t seem to be...........

Michigan forced more than 70 unlicensed medical marijuana dispensaries to close after a state-issued Dec. 31 licensing deadline, severing many patients’ access to their medication.The businesses had to apply for state licenses by Feb. 15, 2018 and have remained open under emergency rules that allowed them to temporarily operate while awaiting state licenses. However, permanent rules that took effect Dec. 1 did not include provisions for temporary operations, said Matthew Abel, attorney with Cannabis Counsel, P.L.C., a boutique marijuana law firm in Detroit, and executive director for Michigan NORML. Temporary operators faced an ultimatum—get licensed by Dec. 31 or shut down.“They can proceed with the licensing process, assuming that [they began] the licensing process by last February,” Abel said.Michigan’s new governor, Gretchen Whitmer, took office Jan. 1 and appointed a new director for the state’s Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), the licensing and regulatory body for the state’s cannabis industry.“It’s possible that they might put in place some new emergency rules, but I don’t see that happening really,” Abel said. “The state needs to expedite the consideration of the applications, … and maybe they should consider those temporary operators first—let them jump the queue, as it were, to be first in line. But other people who completed their applications earlier and who have never opened would object to that. We just need the state to be more aggressive in considering the applications, and frankly, the Republicans who were in charge, in my opinion, were slow-pedaling this the whole licensing process.”The state will hold its next monthly licensing board meeting Jan. 16, where it will presumably issue more licenses, Abel added.And although the licensing process will continue, patients who have been using dispensaries that have been shut down will likely revert to the illicit market for their medicine, he said. This presents obvious safety concerns, Abel added—under the new regulations, all products sold at licensed dispensaries must be lab tested, but products sold outside the regulated market are largely untested and unlabeled.“The good part is that everything will be lab tested,” Abel said. “The bad part is there aren’t that many dispensaries licensed yet. I’m thinking the number’s around 50. So, there are more closed than open. It certainly wasn’t a................... https://www.cannabisbusinesstimes.com/article/michigan-closure-unlicensed-medical-marijuana-dispensaries/

We are Michigan's favorite Medical marijuana certification and renewal company.

New certifications and renewals are $75. How do you get a Michigan medical marijuana card?Give us a call or walk-in, and we will walk you through the often confusing process of getting your medical marijuana license.

Budweiser's Parent Company Enters $100 million Deal with Cannabis Producer ShutterstockOn Wednesday, Belgium-based Anheuser-Busch InBev joined the ranks of other beverage giants that have inked deals with Canadian cannabis companies this year. Partnering with Tilray, Inc. AB InBev will match the company’s $50 million contribution, bringing the total investment in the partnership to $100 million. Those funds will support research into non-alcoholic cannabis-infused drinks. So far, however, the two companies have no immediate plans to commercialize any beverage the project might develop.Labatt Breweries and High Park Subsidiaries Will Participate in the Research PartnershipAB InBev is a global leader in alcoholic beverages, owning more than 500 brands, including the iconic beer Budweiser. The Busch family sold the company to InBev in 2008 for $52 billion. Ten years later, the company is making its first North American foray into legal cannabis.Both Tilray and AB InBev will participate in the $100 million research deal through a pair of subsidiaries. AB InBev will participate through Labatt Breweries of Canada, the country’s leading brewer. Tilray will participate through one of its adult-use subsidiaries, High Park Company. High Park develops, sells and distributes cannabis brands and products in Canada. Labatt Breweries of Canada President Kyle Norrington said the research project will “guide future decisions about potential commercial opportunities.”2018 was a major year for North America’s cannabis industry. Canada, of course, implemented its world-historic Cannabis Act in October, legalizing cannabis for adults nationwide. And in the U.S., medical cannabis program expansions, the implementation of California’s retail industry and a Farm Bill legalizing hemp have all expanded access to............https://hightimes.com/news/budweisers-parent-company-enters-100-million-deal-with-cannabis-producer/